Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review: Insides and Keyboard Removal

[sdfgsdfgaghj]

awesome, thanks!

[dittbub]

very helpful and professional video. thank you very much!

[strawberrysplashface]

ha ha , feel free to correct me

[frankjutay]

Thanks nice vid

[fwaggylover]

Just for removing the keyboard, Will this video work For a ThinkPad X120-e?

I am waiting for IBM to send me a replacement Keyboard because I cannot afford to waste a week of the time I have to work on an art project waiting for my computer to be serviced.

[golfbeast19]

I've had so many problems from my T410. I can't stand the damn thing.

[TomRaider410]

@golfbeast19 What's wrong? I have no problem with mine until I had work that requires more RAM

[golfbeast19]

@TomRaider410 Well part of it has to do with not having enough ram, 2 GB with only 1.86 being usable, and a big part comes from the multiple hardware failures I've had. So far since getting it in July 2010, I have the keyboard replaced 3 times, screen replaced twice and the screen still does not function properly after the two replacements.

[TomRaider410]

@golfbeast19 well, sad to hear that bro. I suppose you can sell that just right after its expired date, get a new one.

[golfbeast19]

@TomRaider410 I would but I received it via grant for my undergraduate career, so it must last me until 2014!

[sogy32]

Ok so I watched this and I cannot figure out what's wrong with my laptop because it will charge but power will not turn on anyone know what's wrong? I'm not well with these IBM think pads

[aludu20]

Thanks for this video

[thorzo90]

is bios battery thtats marked i yellow?

[Antaeus494]

Thanks, I was able to replace the keyboard easily following the viddy. (Oh yes, the keyboard failing was the third warranty claim I've made in 18 months, and this machine has very little use.) An Interesting thing: the video shows a machine with tweo copper pipes leading out of the CPU. Mine, same chip (i5), has one pipe. Hmmm.

[kirchmoto]

Dude my j and k keys weren't working on my recycled unit and I was getting ready to send it back to my company till I found your video. Turns out it was a mounting screw that was too long. Thanks for creating this video it saved me a lot of time!!!

[Mokey117]

I'm a Lenovo/IBM warranty tech. The T410 is a horrible machine to work with.

[yuianoka]

Hi. May I know if you have any tips in cleaning the speaker cover? >My speaker cover have lots of dust and I would like to clean it.

[freddellmeister]

I have a T410 and is has a "cracked" palmrest.

I also suffer from keyboard flex, thanks to this review a could reseat the keyboard to lessen the flex, but it is still a bit flimsy. The T410 keyboard is not very sturdy.

I also started removing "ALL" screws, but this one showed me how to proceed. Very different from my T61.

[migit128]

very informative. made my memory upgrade extremely quick! thanks!

[tf88888888]

so....i heard that the thinkpad t410s have a crack in the palmrest is that true? or is that the t410s

[Phaxmohdem]

@tf88888888 Mine did not have any cracks in the palm rest, and I haven't heard about any wide-spread crack issues with either the T410 or T410s. If Lenovo did ship a few cracked ones, it was likely a limited QC problem.

[shikibiomernok]

@tf88888888 Mine started to crack for a while now, and the crack is near to the top of my touchpad. I'll just order a new palmrest from ebay. :) The laptop still worth it. It's awesome.

[farestabs]

can you do a key dis/re-assembly or tell me how it's done?

[warzone621]

What's the socket type of this model? BGA1288 or PGA988? THX.

[masloob]

it was helpful, many thanks.

[psptechnologypsp]

Thanks for that!

[DevPack]

awesome dude thanks for this big help :)

[devavejay]

I could not figure out how to get the keyboard off by reading the IBM web site, the video was perfect tutorial on how to get t410 keyboard off.

[suutari13]

The build quality of laptops nowadays sucks.

[psptechnologypsp]

@suutari13

But ThinkPads stay the best in that field.

[suutari13]

@psptechnologypsp

I don't agree. I have to work with ThinkPads. It's the laptops in the company i work. I think the topend ASUS are good. But i guess everybody has his/her favourite.

[psptechnologypsp]

@suutari13

I really like ASUS alot. So you are saying that they can be more dependable with drops than Lenovo?

[suutari13]

@psptechnologypsp

I haven't tried dropping my ASUS. :). Lenovos are very resilient.

[psptechnologypsp]

@suutari13 You see, i really like Asus (especially the gaming ones) so thats why i was asking about durability.

[ibabanku]

hi do you know if I upgrade my rams would void my warranty ? Thanks

[athlon866]

Your review is way better than those of so-called notebook professional channels like Cnet, tigerdirect, notebookreview, etc!!!

[chasedoe]

Bluetooth use no PCI-e dude

it's for wwan

[singsonn]

What is your battery, 3-cell or 6-cell? Thanks!

[Phaxmohdem]

@singsonn I got the 6 cell battery. AFAIK, there is no 3 cell, Lenovo offers a 4, 6, or 9 cell option.

[aslambilal]

Is it possible to remove the back cover of the screen without voiding the warranty. Plan is to sand it and paint it. What do you think?

[farestabs]

Do you think this computer with an i7, 4GB ram and nividia nvs310m is good for photoshop?

[Phaxmohdem]

@farestabs This computer with an i5, 4GB RAM, and Intel HD Graphics is a GREAT Photoshop machine. The i7 CPU won't make a huge difference in Photoshop performance (maybe 5-10% over my i5-540), but the NVS310M should be a worthwhile upgrade if you are going to be doing some crazy intense, tens-of-megapixels 'shopping

[alexyky]

I think the correct way to open the keyboard is to push the long plastic with power button towards the monitor. This can avoid using a tool and also hurting the parts.

[MasterOfComics]

i believe that Thinkpad quality problem is a Chinese problem. The Chinese fails miserably to manufacture quality hardware. It is all about Chinese mentality which is producing in lowest possible cost. Just look at Taiwanese or Koreans they are far surpassing them in terms of hardware quality

[Antaeus494]

@MasterOfComics based on my experience of returning my T410 for service three times in 18 months, when it gets only around 6 hours of gentle use a week, I'm inclined to agree. Couldn't IBM have chosen a quality manufacturer?

[7pjohn]

awesome .. very much professional.!! Good job!

[bhjojo]

can you tell be what the Battery life is and what cell(s) stick out from the back?

[bhjojo]

can you tell be what the Battery life is and what cell(s) stick out from the back?

[bhjojo]

what is the battery life with a 6cell and which cell(s) stick out of the back?

[hgz33grand]

Hi! Can you tell me whether the fan noise is big or not, because I have heard some complaints about T410's fan noise and want to verify. I am R60 user and want to purchase a T410, but the noise problem really bothers me.Thanks!!

[Phaxmohdem]

@hgz33grand I have not had a problem with fan noise at all. When the CPU is under load and the fan kicks in, it is a bit higher pitched than other ThinkPads I've used in the past, but not louder.

[Benjastina]

T410 seems not having ROLLCAGE?!

Does this really matter??

[doubletrance]

only 2 screws hold the keyboard??? is that why it flexes so much???

[jalal2000ca]

Hi again... I forgot to ask if your system's hard drive comes in 5400 rpm or 7200 rpm... and also is there too much difference between core i5 520 and 540? and is it worth spending $30 to upgrade from 520 to 540 for someone who just uses the laptop for normal daily use... ? thanks...

[Phaxmohdem]

My system has the 250GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive. I purchased it with the thought process being I would upgrade to an SSD in the near future once prices and performance start to level out. To be quite honest, for what I use my laptop for this hard drive is plenty fast, and probably saves a bit of battery juice as well. As for the processor, the only difference between the 520 and 540 is 133MHz. If it comes down it it, put the $30 towards getting at least 4GB of RAM instead.

[jalal2000ca]

Thanks for the reply... I am a regular university student who needs a laptop to write some papers, surf the net, and download some movies and music... pretty basic stuff. I am wondering if you would recommend this laptop... or something else??? thanks...

[Phaxmohdem]

This laptop works wonderfully for that task. I purchased this laptop for two reasons, first my MBA studies, and second, my side business doing web development. I take to class daily and take notes on it using Microsoft OneNote 2007 (An amazing app for the price) and general other MS Office / Adobe PDF apps. Works like a charm for that. Only thing I regret is not having a touch screen for note-taking. I can't count the number of times I've wished I had a stylus to jot down an equation.

[hgz33grand]

@Phaxmohdem Hi! Can you tell me whether the fan noise is big or not, because I have heard some complaints about T410's fan noise and want to verify. I am R60 user and want to purchase a T410, but the noise problem really bothers me.Thanks!!

[jalal2000ca]

Awesome review... I was wondering if you would recommend this laptop? I was also wondering if you could let me know about some of the flaws of this system? I heard there are some issues with the keyboard if you are a fast typer. and also the fans run all the time and make some high-pitched noises.. Also the screen is 16:10 ratio... How do you feel about watching movies and entertainment? Thanks and cheers...

[Phaxmohdem]

The fan on my unit hardly every turns on, since I don't have the discreet video card this is possibly the coolest laptop I'eve ever owned. It never gets more than lukewarm on any part of the chassis. The keyboard is a tad disappointing (feels cheap compared to older Thinkpad keyboards), and yes I have noticed that my WPM has fallen when typing on it.

As far as the screen goes, I am a programmer, and hence HATE 16x9 screens. If they had a 4:3 option I would have purchased that, but 16x10=OK

[Neokazaki]

@Phaxmohdem: Thanks for your answer. I´m really looking forward to see your next video with the impressions after a few weeks with the T410! Maybe you could show the "weak structures" and the things, where Lenovo made "a step backwards", too :)

[Neokazaki]

Thanks for the nice Review of the T410! I have a question concerning the durability: I heard that the T410 does not have a Magnesium Rollcage (especially in the Displaylid). Have you ever removed the Lid of the Display?

[Phaxmohdem]

@Neokazaki No, but I've heard the same thing. Pressing around the display lid, it definitely feels like there is no roll cage behind it though the plastic is pretty durable feeling. if you press on the bottom edge between the hinges, there is a lot of flexing however which is a bit disconcerting.

[tsrwatson]

I've heard there is a high pitched noise that the T410 makes, have you experienced this?

[frankyfingers]

I'd use a plastic card to remove the keyboard - using a screw driver is like begging for scratches. ;-)

[Phaxmohdem]

There is not a good shot of it in the video unfortunately, but the keyboard has two screw studs on it. One that the cover screw goes into, and the other for the screw that is covered up. It is definitely a 2 screw job :)

[yak2be]

Could it be that the screw holding the bottom cover holds the keyboard at the same time? Because if you look at the bottom of the keyboard, it actually has two threads and one of them is under the TrackPoint keys right about where the cover screw is. I was under the impression that one screw holds the keyboard and the other the cover.

[lsdj86]

you've done a good thing Phaxmohdem, cheers...saves me the trouble of stripping my screws. get my t410 in 2-3 weeks. peace

[yak2be]

The miniPCI-Express slot under the cover is not for Bluetooth, it is for WWAN card. Judging by the lack of antenna cables, your model is not WWAN-upgradable (unless you install antennas yourself that is). The Bluetooth is normally under the palmrest according to the T410 Hardware Maintenance Manual.

[Phaxmohdem]

hehe no guts no glory! :P But yes kids, listen to yak2be!

[yak2be]

Stop! First thing to do is to pull out the battery!